- Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase was quoted by James Walker at ESPN saying, “If Julius Thomas is healthy and we catch some breaks, he can be and has been a 10-TD guy.” Gase was the offensive coordinator for Thomas in Denver during the 2013 and 2014 seasons, both of which Thomas finished with double-digit TDs.
- Thomas earned overall PFF grades of 81.5 in 2013 and 79.6 in 2014 with the Broncos. He signed with the Jaguars prior to the 2015 season, earning grades of 61.8 in 2015 and 66.6 in 2016. Thomas went from being targeted by Peyton Manning to sophomore Blake Bortles, and while one might be tempted to attribute his decline in performance to this change, there are other factors to consider.
- Thomas’ red zone targets, by year, from 2013 to 2016: 18, 15, 10 and seven. His touchdowns over the same span: 12, 12, five and four. Jacksonville’s offensive scheme didn’t rely on Thomas as a red zone threat with nearly the same frequency as Gase’s offense in Denver did. Over the past four seasons, 23 of Thomas’ 33 total touchdowns have come from red zone targets.
- Injuries have been a significant part of Thomas’ career so far as well. He has missed at least two games in each of the past four seasons, and his games missed due to injury have increased every year. After missing the last six weeks of the 2016 season, Thomas hopes to put together the first 16-game regular season of his career.
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